Remember the Patriots!

I have been wanting Lincoln to beat Mercer ever since I heard that sappy story about them watching the movie "Remember the Titans" together after merging. We can beat a team named after a Disney movie, so from now on we'll call them the Mercer Cinderellas.
If we pass the ball, we will win. I actually think we called more passing plays (only 10 vs. Bardstown) but they were rolling Levi out of the pocket or took a long time to setup so they were busted up in the backfield for losses. Our line is strong, so we should work on quick hitters with Levi throwing from the pocket.
Coaching will play a major role in Friday's game. French should want to prove to Lincoln that he is the better coach, I believe he is. It is rare to play against your team's former coach. People here know Marty, and they want French to smack him in the mouth. So this is a win for the community as well as the players. He will have to get the most out of every kid on the field. Dean Wilks needs to have the line crushing those guys and breaking their morale early. I say this a lot, but if we get up on them by 2 touchdowns it's over. The mental aspect of high school football is so important. You rarely see comebacks like Boyle vs. Henry Clay the other night. It is far more common for teams to lay down from huge momentum swings like back to back scores than it is for them to buckle down and fight back. Coaches who can work the mental aspect to their advantage always win. Look at your best high school coaches, they are all great motivators. If French and the rest of the coaching staff have these guys pumped, we will win. Jagger's pre-game speech is going to be "we are state champions, let's beat this team" period. We need to come out on the field with more emotion than ever, we need to have blood in our eyes and fire in our veins. Chuck Smith won championships because he had his players believing that they could win, no matter the opponent. Boyle had no more talent than we did, but Smith used the mental aspect to overcome any talent he faced on the field. Did Boyle ever have more talent than Covington Catholic, Lexington Catholic, or Henry Clay? No, but it didn't matter if they suited up against the Cincinnatti Bengals, they believed they would win. I will argue with anybody that says the mental aspect of high school football is not more important than the physical.
The feeling of beating the defending State Champion could change our entire season! However, I am petitioning KHSAA to put an asterisk beside their state championship. I will also go on record that I will go to the booster club and the school board and ask them to buy the team "We smashed Mercer and Marty" championship rings after we win Friday. The Patriots could also break the win streak of 17 by Mercer, currently the longest in the State I believe. This win is going to be huge! Let's change their Disney movie, make them remember the Patriots! Good luck Lincoln and good luck French.